A new study conducted at Imperial College, London, has revealed that a new mobile phone app could relieve symptoms of seasickness and other forms of motion nausea, the Telegraph reports.
The findings appeared in the journal Neurology.
The mobile phone app will work by the application of a small amount of electricity via a headphone jack. The scientists believe that the mild electrical current will calm the impact of confusing messages received from the ears and eyes that cause motion sickness.
"We are confident that within five to 10 years people will be able to walk into the chemist and buy an anti-seasickness device," said lead researcher Qadeer Arshad from Imperial College London, according to the Telegraph.
"It may be something like a machine that is used for back pain. We hope it might even integrate with a mobile phone, which would be able to deliver the small amount of electricity required via the headphone jack," Arshad said.
"In either case, you would temporarily attach small electrodes to your scalp before travelling -- on a cross channel ferry, for example," Arshad said.
In the study, volunteers wore electrodes on their heads for about 10 minutes. They were then made to sit in a motorized rotating chair that simulated the motions that usually cause motion sickness in people. The treatment made the volunteers feel less nauseous and they also recovered more quickly from the nausea.
"We are really excited about the potential of this new treatment to provide an effective measure to prevent motion sickness with no apparent side effects," Michael Gresty, professor at Imperial College said, according to the Telegraph.
